1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a film feed mechanism for a photographic camera, and more particularly to a mounting structure for a film feed gear in a film feed mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been a demand for miniaturization of a camera as a method of making cameras more prevailing and various type small-sized cameras have been developed and put into practice. In this regard, there has been known a very small camera using special small-sized film. However such a very small camera is disadvantageous in that resolution of images deteriorates as the film size is reduced and a sharp picture cannot be obtained, and that such special small-sized film is not so available and difficult to obtain.
Accordingly, there has been a demand for the camera to be as small as possible while using a common 35 mm film magazine.
Recently, small-sized cameras are generally provided with a film feed mechanism in which film take-up operation and film rewind operation are carried out under the force of a film feed motor in order to simplify the photographing operation.
Further there has been known a structure in which the film feed motor is disposed within a film take-up spool, a film rewind spindle is provided in a film magazine chamber to be engaged with a film spool, around which a roll film is wound, and the driving force of the film feed motor is selectively transmitted to the film take-up spool through a reduction gearing or to the film rewind spindle through the reduction gearing and a gear train.
As the mounting structure for the gears in the gear train for transmitting the driving force of the film feed motor to the rewind spindle, there has been known one in which a support wall is formed on a vertical wall of the camera body, which forms the magazine chamber and the film take-up chamber, to extend parallel to the optical axis of the camera in perpendicular to the vertical wall and boss portions are formed on the support wall and the gears are fitted on the boss portions.
However the mounting structure for the gears is disadvantageous in that a predetermined clearance is required between the support wall and a lens barrel unit so that they don't interfere with each other, which adds to the height of the camera body and obstructs miniaturization of the camera.
More particularly, a viewfinder is provided above the gear train and the lens barrel unit is disposed below the gear train, and accordingly the viewfinder and the lens barrel unit must be at a distance from each other sufficient to dispose the support wall and the gear train without interference therewith, which results in a larger height of the camera body.